The dog's owner had to give up the 2-1/2-year-old Dalmatian and "wanted to make sure Piper went to a good home," Beverly says.

After Beverly posted a cute picture advertising Piper on the animal shelter's Facebook page, one of the first responders (get it?) happened to be a firefighter. Zach Mosley's mother had sent him a link to the photo of Piper, and when he saw her, he knew he had to have her.

Zach, who's been a firefighter with Livingston Fire and Rescue and a volunteer with the Lusk Volunteer Fire Department for the past five years, had always "thought it would be cool" to have a Dalmatian, he says.

He called the shelter immediately to express interest in Piper. After talking to Beverly, who approved his application, he drove two-plus hours from his home in Gilbertown, Ala., to pick up a dog he hadn't met yet.

"He wound up being the one most suitable for the dog," Beverly says. "I thought that was just awesome."

Piper wasn't at the shelter long. "She came in at 7:30 a.m. and went home at 1 p.m. that day," Beverly says. "It's always great when we find good homes so fast."

Not every dog is so lucky, but the nonprofit, guaranteed-adoption shelter is committed to finding a home for every dog it takes in. Two dogs who had been there for seven years each recently were adopted, Beverly says. Right now, the shelter has about 130 dogs up for adoption.

Since the shelter opened in 2010, nearly 2,500 dogs have been rescued, she adds. Dogs have been adopted by people as far away as California who see them on the shelter's Facebook page, go through the application process and travel to Bay Minette to pick them up.

Zach Mosley and Piper "are gonna make a great team," Zach enthused after adopting the Dalmatian. (Courtesy North Baldwin Animal Shelter)

Before Zach left with Piper on Wednesday afternoon, Beverly took a photo of the two of them and posted it on Facebook. They look like they were meant to be, both wearing the same smile.

Zach had to work the next day, so he took Piper with him. She was a little skittish at first, he says, but "after lunch time, she was walking around that place like she owned it."

She fit right in - after all, every fire station needs a Dalmatian mascot. Zach's co-workers liked her so much, he says, that they have pretty much forbidden him from coming back without her.